Coping with Hunger: Hazard and Experiment in an African Rice-Farming System [Hardcover]

Originally published in 1986, Coping with Hunger demonstrates that effective agricultural development in resource-poor regions must be based in a respect for the indigenous farmers understanding of the environment. Based on participant-observation of rice farming in Sierra Leone, the book challenges the prevailing of attitudes of policy makers in the late 20^th Century and restores indigenous culture and local wisdom to their rightful place. After analysing the fate of a number of top-down attempts to improve rice cultivation in Sierra-Leone the author derives an alternative agenda of research and development issues more closely reflecting the resource-poor farmers major interests and priorities. As a significant research-based contribution to the widespread general debates about the relevance of social factors in technological change, this book will be of interest to students in social and environmental sciences.

Introduction 1. Food Crises and Technology Transfer: Sierra Leone 1919-1949 2. Bringing the Green Revolution to Sierra Leone 3. Mogbuama: Landscape and Society 4. Land and Labour 5. The Farming Year 6. The Harvest 7. The Hungry Season 8. Rice Varieties and Farmer Experiments 9. Rice R&D in Sierra Leone: A Farmer-First-and-Last Scenario.

Originally published in 1986, Coping with Hunger demonstrates that effective agricultural development in resource-poor regions must be based in a respect for the indigenous farmers understanding of the environment. The book challenges the prevailing of attitudes of policy makers in the late 20^th Century.

Paul Richard is Professor Emeritus of Technology and Agrarian Development at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.